Finance Minister Bill Morneau speaks following federal budget consultations with the Business Council of Alberta in Calgary on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020.Sammy Hudes / Postmedia

The recent tour through Calgary by senior members of the federal government continued Thursday, as Finance Minister Bill Morneau made a stop in the city for pre-budget consultations with members of the province’s business community.

The roundtable discussion was hosted by the Business Council of Alberta, which formed last year and consists of more than 40 executives and company representatives from industries across the province.

It was the third visit to Calgary by a high-profile member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government this month. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was in town last week to meet with such officials as Premier Jason Kenney and Mayor Naheed Nenshi, while Winnipeg MP Jim Carr, the Liberal government’s special representative for the Prairies, touched down in Calgary on Tuesday.

Morneau characterized his exchange with the group of business leaders as “very positive,” as they discussed issues pertaining to the region.

“Clearly, in Alberta, there are specific challenges. There are challenges around employment here that are different than other parts of the country,” Morneau said.

“We wanted to hear about ideas for how we can enhance employment opportunities, enhance the opportunity for great jobs. Some of the specific things that we heard about today were obviously in the oil and gas sector.”

The finance minister stressed his government’s priority, “first and foremost,” of aiming to always achieve “a fair price for our resources,” while at the same time addressing the issue of climate change and the need for consultation with Indigenous communities.

He said the government planned to incorporate the themes he heard Thursday into its thinking when developing the next federal budget, which is expected to be tabled this spring.

Morneau also didn’t rule out further funding for infrastructure projects in Calgary, noting those discussions “are continuing.”

“There’s a big opportunity in Calgary,” he said. “There’s a significant opportunity across Alberta.”

In a statement, the federal Conservative party’s associate finance critic Pat Kelly said Morneau and the Liberal government “have significantly harmed families” and “alienated Albertans to a degree not seen” since Pierre Trudeau’s time as prime minister.

But Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta, said Morneau and the panel actually saw eye to eye more than one would expect.

“There’s a perception across the country that it’s Alberta versus the rest of Canada and that the interests are very divergent. I can tell you from the business perspectives around the room that there is quite a bit of alignment,” Legge said.

“We want to grow prosperity, we want to see the middle class thriving in Canada, we want to see prosperity in our Indigenous communities, we want to be responsible producers of natural resources. We know we can be global leaders in that.”

Asked what the business council hoped to see in the next budget, Legge said vocal support from Ottawa for Alberta’s natural resource sector was more important than any individual item.

Following previous visits to Calgary that were met with protests and pro-pipeline demonstrations, Morneau said his government is committed to getting on the same page as Albertans, who did not elect any Liberal candidates in October’s election.

“We live in a democracy, so people are always going to have a different point of view. My experience in coming to Calgary is people are very respectful,” he said.

“There’s always going to be people who are frustrated on specific issues or people that are experiencing real challenges . . . but I’ve always found it to be a very constructive dialogue with people of goodwill and that’s the way I take it. We’re trying to make a difference for people in a challenging time. That means listening is important.”

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